Merry Maids was founded in 1979 in Omaha, Neb., by Dallen Peterson. Dallen worked with his wife, Glennis; their children; and his twin brother Dale to create the Merry Maids system and franchise the company.

In 1988, ServiceMaster purchased Merry Maids from the Petersons. All of the ServiceMaster companies specialize in home services, so Merry Maids has been a natural fit for ServiceMaster from the beginning. Some of our sister companies in our Family of Brands include Terminix, TruGreen ChemLawn, ServiceMaster Clean and American Home Shield.

The Merry Maids view of family and values also aligned with ServiceMaster's corporate objectives. We honor God in all that we do, excel with customers, help people develop and grow profitably. ServiceMaster has opened 63 Merry Maids branches throughout the United States since acquiring Merry Maids.

As Merry Maids has grown, our core values remain the heart of what we do and who we are. As an example, many of the franchise owners who purchased territories in the early years have included their children in their businesses, and continue to work themselves. Merry Maids also encourages career growth. Several branch managers began their careers as team members.